The Lost Uchiha
by AFoxesTale
Summary: Kidnapped at birth, a young girl unknowingly stumbles into the city where she was born. Now, she must assimilate to living in Konoha while also trying to find this supposed long lost twin everyone keeps talking about. R&R!
1. Prologue

Raven hair fluttered in the wind as the young woman jumped hastily from branch to branch through the thick forest.

Her dark eyes steadily looked ahead as she tried to outrun her pursuers, her right hand pressed against the bleeding hole in her stomach.

 _This can't be it._

Just as she had that thought, the voice that convinced her she was deranged as a child filtered through her head, _What do you mean?_

She didn't respond.

She let her mind grow blank, worried that the voice would turn frantic and distract her from her escape. She heard unidentifiable yelling behind her, but swiftly ignored that noise as well.

Breathing was becoming more difficult, the pain in her chest growing and ensnaring her lungs from the oxygen she so desperately needed. A torrent of red blood flowed from a cut hidden underneath her thick black locks, causing her to have to keep her right eye closed.

Her left eye had ink black darkness slowly intruding her visions edges, she practically growled aloud at her own body's incompetence at that moment.

With what little sight she had left, she was able to pick up the burnt orange of a wall ahead of her. The sight caused a spark of hope in her chest, maybe she could get away from her captors after all?

As she made one final leap from the thick tree branch, her legs buckled underneath her as they met the forest floor. She rolled and, ignoring the searing pain running throughout her entire body, managed to push her tired body back onto her two feet.

Thick, haggard breaths ripped themselves from her raw throat, but she needed to call out. She could barely make out a face sitting behind a wooden booth situated behind the large gates that were a mere five yards away from her.

The yells and footsteps behind her were growing clearer, _fuck._

 _What's going on?!_

With strength she didn't know she held, she opened her chapped lips and yelled as loud as she possibly could, "HELP!"

And with that last bit of strength, her body gave out and she felt her body falling to the ground. But, just before her dark eyes closed she saw the unknown person sitting behind the booth stand up, and four people jumped down from the tall walls.

She was out cold before she hit the ground.

* * *

Hey there! You guys can just call me Salem!  
I'm really excited for this story and I hope you all stay interested! This is a story idea I've been playing around with for awhile so I'm happy I'm finally getting it out there!  
Please R&R!


	2. Waking

WOW! Over 10 followers just from a prologue? You guys are awesome! I hope to meet all of your expectations!

I re-wrote this chapter sooo many times, but I think I'm finally happy with it. It's going to be confusing, but that's a good thing~

Responses To Comments With Questions:  
 **time-twilight** : This chapter is right before the Kazekage Rescue Mission!

Thank you **Ina** , **Tragic Nous** , **Snowwolf1903** , **Guest** and **time-twilight** for reviewing! 

* * *

The Konoha hospital was surprisingly quiet. The nurses at the front desk were content with a nice light chat about something mundane, the smell of antiseptic still hung throughout the halls and there was just a single middle-aged woman in the waiting room, waiting for her son to be done with his yearly physical.

However, the peace could never last for long.

A male ninja with a bandana over the top of his head ran through the front glass doors with a body on his back. "We need medical attention!"

The nurses jumped to their feet, one running for a gurney while the other ran over to examine the woman on the ninja's back.

"We found her at the front of the gate," the man explained to the bustling nurse.

The woman didn't speak with words, instead gently looking over the young girl's heavy injuries and helping her fellow nurse move the injured blunette onto the gurney.

The ninja momentarily hesitated as he witnessed the two-capable woman carry off the unknown girl, before he turned around and swiftly returned back to his post.

It was within thirty minutes of looking over the young woman that one of the older male doctors cried out, "Get Tsunade-sama!"

The Hokage was irritated as she finally bustled into the hospital, her brown eyes widening a mere fraction when they laid upon the broken body of a teenage girl.

She immediately began barking out orders to her fellow doctors and nurses, her hands brightly glowing with green healing chakra as she approached her newest patient.

 _"What's that color?" the five-year-old gently smiled at the almost two-year-old._

 _"That's purple Rena-chan!" the young brunette happily spoke, her smile large enough to shine for miles._

 _"Good job Mizuki-chan!" she smiled back at the happy child, before humming to herself and turning to another flower, "What color is that?"_

 _Mizuki's brows furrowed before she proudly answered, "Yellow!"_

 _"Girls, it's time for your check-ups," a woman in a simple brown dress appeared in the doorframe._

 _Rena glanced up at the curved light-blue ceiling before grabbing Mizuki's hand and wordlessly leading her to the older woman._

I don't trust her.

Why?

 _Rena paused in her walking at the voice in her head. Mizuki looked up at her questioningly._

What?

 _The young child waited for an answer, standing stock still._

 _But, the woman was clearly growing impatient and walked forward to yank the two harshly through the door and back into the main building. Rena cried out in pain, but the woman continued to pull them through the corridor._

 _It was a regular night, Rena leaned her head heavily against the wall as she held her tattered blanket tightly in her small hands on an excuse of a mattress. If she moved too far to the left a spring would painfully poke her in the side._

 _Why does dad love big brother more than me?_

 _Rena was slightly started by the voice. It wasn't the first time she's heard an unfamiliar voice in her head, but it was the first time she heard it say something she didn't fully understand._

What's a dad? _She wondered to herself._

You can hear me?! _The young voice energetically responded._

 _The girls' eyes widened. The voice could respond? That's so cool!_

Yeah, can you hear me?

Yeah, I can! Who are you?

 _For some reason whenever she tried to think her name to the voice, she couldn't. So, instead she responded with,_ A girl, I'm five-years-old!

 _Her head grew silent._

 _Her shoulders slumped at the lack of a response, maybe she was just hearing things? She was rather tired…._

I'm five too! But I'm a boy.

 _She perked up at the response._

 _Finally, she had someone to talk to._

 _Her tiny body trembled terribly._

 _She was so scared to fall._

 _"Stay focused!" that terrifying voice yelled out to the dozen of children in the room._

 _Her bony pointer finger was supporting her entire body weight atop a long, sharp spindle, her feet pointed towards the ceiling._

 _A cry of pain broke through the silence, the undeniable sound of tearing skin reaching her ears._

 _She tightly shut her dark eyes to the world, trying to not think about what was going on around her._

 _Later, she found out the young boy impaled himself on his own spindle when he lost concentration and died instantly._

 _They spent months just talking to each other, explaining their lives to each other. Rena was fascinated by the voices 'family' just as he was fascinated by her training._

So, you never met your parents?

No, I didn't even know that was a thing until you told me.

Did you ever wonder where you came from?

Yeah, but it's better sometimes to not ask questions here…

 _It was awhile later, after numerous nights of conversing with the mysterious voice, that she approached one of the many women working at the facility about the voice in her head. Their eyes grew wide in terror and they clamped a large hand over her mouth while fearfully telling her to never tell anyone else ever again._

 _Rena made it her mission in that moment to try not to respond to the voice again._

 _After all, she couldn't be different than what the yukuta's expected._

 _"STOP SMILING!"_

 _A thick wooden board slammed atop the six-year-old's pale hands that were steadily growing red across puckered skin._

 _The child bit the inside of her cheek until she bled, the metallic taste heavy on her tongue._

I hate him.

What's wrong?

 _It took all her might not to respond, she desperately wanted to. She wanted someone to talk to._

 _But the man before her was in a yukata._

 _The rest of the room was filled with equally terrified children sitting at rickety desks that easily poked splinters into your skin._

 _She was so scared._

BIG BROTHER WHY?

 _Rena jutted up in her small room that night, her dark eyes wide with fear._

 _"Who said that?"_

WHY WOULD YOU KILL THEM?

 _She whirled around, her long thick hair following her movements, her eyes grew in fear of what the voice in her head was currently experiencing._

WHY IS THERE SO MUCH BLOOD? I DON'T UNDERSTAND.

 _Her small body violently shook with the unidentifiable fear and anger that flowed through her system – was_ she _feeling this? She shakily gathered her ratty blanket to her thin body, curling herself in the very corner of the windowless wall on the lumpy mattress, her eyes refusing to leave the heavy metal door barely a yard away from her._

 _She wanted to soothe the voice, but she was so_ terrified _and what made it worse was that they weren't her own emotions._

 _Thick tears flew down her face as anguish flooded her veins, unbeknownst to her, her eyes glowed red that night_.

"She looks familiar, doesn't she?" Tsunade's voice filtered through the small hospital room. Her stern eyes were solely focused on the still body of a broken teenage girl laying on the white bed, hidden underneath mountains of white blankets to try and keep her warm.

The only other person in the room, a man with gravity defying grey hair and a mask covering most of his face hummed in response.

There was a still silence until the man asked, "When do you think she'll wake up?"

The older woman let out a deep sigh. "With the injuries, her body has sustained I'd be surprised if she woke up anytime soon. With the past scaring and malnutrition, it's a wonder how she even managed to make it here from wherever she was."

The man remained silent, his lone eye heavily laying upon the girl.

 _"Rena-chan!" a four-year-old Mizuki gleefully ran into Rena's waiting hands. The older girl joyfully picked up the child and spun her around as cheers came from Mizuki before settling her on her hip. "Look at the painting I drew!" she proudly showed the older girl the white paper covered with a red painting._

 _Rena felt the corner of her lip twitch at the sight._

Does she know?

 _After a few heartbeats, she felt her shoulders slump at the lack of a response. She knew it would happen, after all, she stopped responding first_.

 _Thick beads of sweat fell from Rena's temples down to her barely clad body, an extremely thin tan scratchy dress was the only thing covering herself._

 _"Focus more! You need to feel the very power in you!" the older man hissed out, a long stick of wood hidden behind his back. "Bring it to the surface! Morph it with your very skin! Create an impenetrable barrier!"_

 _Without warning, he lashed out and hit the eight-year-old in the shoulder._

 _She flinched in the slightest way, much to his anger, causing him to lash out and whack her numerous times in the back._

 _The child bit the inside of her lip, focusing on bringing her chakra to her skin, desperate to create a barrier to protect her physical self._

 _At this point in her life, pain itself didn't hurt._

 _It was the fact that pain meant she failed that hurt._

Tsunade leaned heavily in her seat, her brown eyes glued to the two manila folders laying innocently on her desk.

Her eyes roved over to the blue folder, the italicized name _Uchiha Sasuke_ popped out on the folders tab. She flicked it open, quickly reading over the boy's information. Unsurprisingly, it wasn't anything she hadn't expected.

She slightly hesitated when she reached for the pink folder.

She carefully opened it, as if it was a precious diamond. Taking a deep swig of sake the Hokage read the files contents for the first time.

 _"Exactly!"_

 _Her black eyes flew open at the mans – for the first time ever – encouraging words._

 _"That's exactly it!" his words were lit with grotesque joy. He cheerfully continued to smack the nine-year old with the metal pipe, his laughter growing as he felt the rebound every time he hit her body._

 _That night Rena was moved to a different room._

 _She was confused and amazed by the new room. It was much bigger than her original room._

 _This one contained a raised bed, with a thin blanket that contained no holes and_ two _pillows. Adjacent to the bed was a worn bookcase that was filled to the brim with unknown books, and a sitting pillow to the side of it._

 _"You are expected to finish these books by the end of the month," the woman, who led her to this new room, explained to her. Her tan hands were clasped in front of her, her green eyes extremely dull. She harshly shoved Rena into the room before slamming the familiar looking metal door behind her._

 _Rena felt like her brain was going to explode from all the new information she had to cram into it. Open and closed books were littered around her figure on the cold floor, a thick text held in her pale hands._

 _The texts were filled with numerous information regarding different kinds of jutsu's. Up until that moment she's been solely focusing on concentration techniques and how to control her chakra. She already knew how to run up walls and run across water, but she couldn't control the elements around her like these books claimed she could do._

 _It was crazy, how could anyone blow a fire ball from their mouth?_

I can.

 _The book tumbled from her hands._

You're back!

 _A childish glee filled her system at the familiar voice flowing through her head._

You were studying jutsu?

 _Rena noticed there was a different tone in his voice, something duller._

You know about jutsu?

Of course, who doesn't?

 _The girl made a face – that obviously the voice couldn't see._

Well, sorry that no one here uses them.

Or at least that you know of.

 _She paused in her thoughts. It wouldn't be the first secret kept from her in this place._

So… will you help me?

 _Beep…beep…beep._

Dark eyes fluttered open.

The girl's confusion grew when her vision was met with a white ceiling.

 _Where am I?_

 _You're back!_

She scrunched her eyes closed, her eyes hurting from all the white surrounding her.

 _How long was I out for?_

 _Last, I heard from you was roughly two weeks ago._

 _Holy fuck._

She tried to let out a groan in irritation but couldn't even cough when she felt something lodged in her throat. She tried to lift her hand to pull the object out but it was being held down. Rena squinted her eyes, taking note of the numerous multi-colored wires surrounding her.

 _What the hell… what is this?_

 _Explain your surroundings to me_ , his voice was stern and left no room for questions.

Dark eyes roamed the room once more, trying to take in as much as possible.

 _The ceiling and walls are white, there's a wooden door with a small window at the top, on the opposite side is a large window but all I see is blue sky and the top of a tree, I'm in a white bed covered in wires and there's something in my throat._

She briefly sniffed the air.

 _And there's a stinging smell in the air._

 _… You're in a hospital._

She wished the voice could see her roll her eyes. _And that is?_

Just then the wooden door opened, revealing a young woman with short pink hair and a clipboard in hand. When she looked up her green eyes widened in shock. "You're awake! Let me get Tsunade-sama!" the woman bolted out of the room, leaving the door wide open.

Rena blinked, confused by the woman's actions.

Within moments a busty blonde woman entered the room, a tight look on her face. Rena had no comprehension of what was happening next, since the girl from before and the woman dubbed as Tsunade were mostly talking to each other as the pinkette made marks on her clipboard.

The teenager refused to take her eyes off the blonde as she moved around her, checking her vitals and speaking words she didn't understand the meaning of to the other girl.

Was this woman going to hurt her?

"My name is Tsunade, you are being taken care of at Konoha hospital. You've been in a coma since we've found you at our front gates," she paused, to let the young girl digest what she was saying. After all, she wasn't sure how aware she was of anything around her.

Rena blinked up at the blonde, confused, but refusing to break eye contact with her. She couldn't help but feel like sleeping. All she wanted to do was close her eyes again and welcome the answering darkness.

"We are going to give you the best care we can provide you."

Something awake in Rena's chest with that single sentence.

Her black eyes met Tsunade's brown ones.

She didn't know what she wanted to tell her.

"The nurse helping you is Haruno Sakura, she will be with you every step of your recovery," the older woman slowly spoke, not sure when her patient was going to fall back asleep.

Rena could barely give the two woman a nod before her eyes became half-lidded, the darkness of sleep slowing seeping over her being.

"Rest, you need it," Tsunade gave her an encouraging look before her dark eyes slid closed and her chest slowed in movement.

Once the Hokage was aware of the brunette's unconsciousness she turned to her protégé, "Watch over her with your life."

For a solid week Rena was in and out of consciousness, it wasn't until she was able to stay awake for a solid eight hours that she heard the amazing: "I think she's strong enough to take the tube out."

Tsunade spoke directly to Rena. "We're going to take the tube out of your throat, try and relax, it's going to be uncomfortable but shouldn't hurt you."

For obvious reasons, Rena didn't respond.

True to the woman's words, the tube coming out of her throat was extremely uncomfortable. She couldn't help the coughs that ripped themselves from her throat, but she was content to finally be able to inhale mouthfuls of air. As she was too busy trying to breath she didn't notice Tsunade wave off the pink-haired woman she's become so accustomed to.

Then only the two of them remained in the room together.

"My ninja found you outside our gates three weeks ago, being chased by three unidentified ninjas."

Rena hesitantly looked up, her eyes clashing with brown. She felt extremely awkward laying down as this woman was clearly being serious. She was also well aware that this is information this particular woman has relayed to her when she originally awoke.

"I know your throat isn't in tip top shape right now, however, I need to know your name."

The young girl blinked owlishly. _Can I trust this woman?_

 _Trust no one._

 _Thank you, all-knowing voice,_ she sarcastically thought back. The amount of trust that boy had in anyone was severely lacking and she was intensely aware of that.

Her eyelids began to feel heavy again, the idea of sleeping in the back of her mind.

She licked her chapped lips, muttering a soft, "Rena." She ignored the fiery pain that ran down her throat at the simple action.

Something in the woman's eyes wilted at the single word. "At least you can speak, you'll remain in the hospital for as long as we seem fit. All I ask is for your cooperation."

The girl slowly, painfully, nodded.

"Sakura will continue to be your main care-giver. I don't know how long you will remain here, but we hope you will be able to leave on your own two feet within three weeks."

Rena felt surprised at the time frame, but didn't question the older woman. She wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.

Without a judging look in her eyes Tsunade asked, "What's your last name?"

Rena blinked, confused by the question, her brows furrowed. She managed to cough out, "What's a 'last name'?"

The woman simply hummed in response, her eyes flickering with an emotion Rena didn't understand. "I will ask you more questions once you are well enough to not stress your vocal cords, until then rehabilitation is key. Sakura will be your main nurse and will help you along, if you have any issues feel free to approach her about anything, or feel free to request a writing board to tell her exactly what you need without tiring yourself out."

The teenager didn't respond, instead she stared at Tsunade with blank eyes.

Without a goodbye, the Hokage turned on her heel and left the hospital room.

It took days for her voice to return to her. If she spoke for too long her throat became scratchy but it was worth being able to fully communicate with those around her (although it wasn't like she had many people to speak with).

Other than the voice she only spoke to Sakura. Tsunade visited from time to time but she swiftly discovered that the older woman was the leader of the village and had other matters to attend to than a single patient.

Rena still wasn't sure what she thought of Sakura.

"You're healing up really well!" the pinkette brightly smiled, briefly looking over her clipboard. "I'm impressed!"

The woman was always happy, and always striking up simple conversation. She endlessly confused Rena with why she was asking her so many questions sometimes, or why she would just off-handedly complain about someone named 'Ino' to her. Sakura spoke so freely it kind of freaked out the brunette. She even offered to bring her out for her first meal when she's out of the hospital!

"So, Rena-chan," Sakura's smile stayed in place as she gently sat down in the plastic chair next to Rena's bed, "where are you from?"

The brunette owlishly blinked at the question. "I think it was the Land of Earth… I did some traveling so I was never sure exactly where I was."

"Did you travel with anyone?"

"No."

"Did you stay with anyone?"

"No."

The pink-haired kunoichi bit the inside of her lip. "So, you've just been alone your whole life?"

"Yes."

"It must've been difficult," her green eyes softened, a light smile on her pink lips.

Rena slowly glanced away from the somber girl. There was something about the other girl she couldn't quite put her finger on, an inkling that she should let out everything to her. The other was easy to talk to – and that was a bad thing.

"So, do you have any plans when you get out of this place?"

The brunette gave her an odd look. "No." She was trying her best not to think about it… if she gets back on that road who knows how long it'll take them to find her again…

"Have you considered just settling down in Konoha?" Rena's ears perked up. "I think it would be good for you if you settled somewhere, especially after traveling for so long on your own."

Could Konoha offer her the protection she needs? Could this place become her haven?

"Just think about it, you have plenty of time," with a lasting bright smile Sakura left the room, leaving Rena with just her thoughts.

* * *

Sorry this chapter took longer than you guys expected. I'm currently in my Senior year of College and writing my senior thesis and I have eight classes (because I hate myself) so my uploads will be very sporadic.

If I ever make a mistake in my writing, please nicely point it out! I'm always looking for constructive criticism!

Please R&R!


	3. Waiting

Responses to Comments with Questions:  
 **Oblivion168** \- That sums it about up! I'll explain more in future chapters!  
 **Shewolf** \- You'll see later! As for pairing Rena up, I actually already planned on discussing that further at the end of the chapter, so check it out!

Thank you **Dian.1, Oblivion168, time-twilight, and Shewolf** for commenting!

* * *

Sakura hadn't returned for the past five days.

Rena didn't want to admit it, but she was slightly worried about the pinkette. She left right after she started her physical therapy to begin walking again.

Instead, a woman with short brown hair named Emiko (who was never _not_ smiling) became her care-taker. The woman was nice enough, but she wasn't Sakura. She didn't try and get to know her like the other girl did.

"You're doing remarkably well Rena-san!" Emiko brightly smiled, clapping her hands together after Rena was able to remain standing for a solid minute before having to return her hands to the bars on either side of her.

 _Does this woman ever stop smiling?_ She felt her eyebrow twitch.

 _Punch her._

 _You punch her._

"Hey, Emiko-san, can I ask you a question?" Rena questioned as the nurse handed her her crutches.

Emiko looked surprised but energetically nodded. "Of course!"

As the two began the slow trek out of the rehabilitation center and to her hospital room the younger asked, "Where's Sakura?"

The nurse hummed before answering, "She's on a mission right now."

"A mission?" Rena was confused, wasn't Sakura a nurse?

"Yes, she's a wonderful medic-nin. I don't know what the mission is about, but she still is an active ninja and goes on them from time to time," she responded with a perky tone.

Once they arrived back at the all-too-familiar hospital room Rena was surprised to see Tsunade calmly seated in the plastic chair against the window.

"Hokage-sama!" Emiko hurriedly bowed.

Tsunade waved the nurse off, telling her she needed to speak to the patient alone. Of course, the nurse scuttled off, closing the door behind her.

The blonde didn't say a word as Rena slowly made her way to the side of the bed and stiffly sat down. The strong look Tsunade gave her made her incredibly uncomfortable.

"You're healing well," the Hokage finally spoke, causing Rena's previously tense shoulders to relax. "Tell me Rena-san, what plans do you have after you are released?"

She was stumped by the question. "Uh… I'm not sure honestly."

Tsunade hummed in thought, the corner of her lip twitching. "Have you considered staying in Konoha?"

It would be a lie to say she hasn't.

"I've considered it," she softly responded.

"If I allow you to remain in Konoha, would you want to be a citizen or a ninja?"

Rena felt her veins run with fire, hope filled her heart for the first time.

 _Am I finding somewhere to belong?_

Her head was filled with the past hopeful thoughts the voice once held to become a shinobi. She recalls how happily and in awe he would speak of the fighters who would protect the village and their loved ones. After a few heartbeats she responded with, "I'm a fighter."

Tsunade smirked, "That's what I like to hear. Alright kid, once you're out of this place we'll test you and see where you rank."

Without a farewell, the older woman stood and left the room.

Rena switched her gaze to out the window, taking in the trees leaves gently blowing in the invisible wind.

The day Rena was waiting for, her release day, was finally here.

She didn't know how to feel.

She didn't even know _where_ to go. She had nowhere. She didn't have a home. She didn't really know anyone.

Sakura still hadn't returned.

She was alone.

Again.

 _Dumbass I'm here._

She rolled her eyes, not bothering to respond. She briefly checked her lone weapon, her katana that was tied loosely around her hips.

With a deep breath, she opened the door that would lead to the hospital hallway.

Her black open-toed ninja shoes were dead silent on the tiled floor, her long hair gently swished behind her, occasionally tickling her elbow as she moved. It was amazing how well she healed, she felt better than she has in years.

"-was in the coma?"

She paused, her eyes flickering to the left, only to be met with a closed door. She focused her chakra to her ears and casually leaned against the opposite wall, her eyes closed to make it seem as if she was simply resting and not eavesdropping.

"There's no doubt in my mind that they're twins," Tsunade's voice filtered through the door.

Rena furrowed her brow in confusion.

 _What's a twin?_

 _It's when two people are born at the same time, they're extremely rare. I've only met one pair before._

The other voice was undeniably male, and slightly muffled with a tired after tone. "So, you're going to send her on the mission in hopes of bringing him back?"

A pause.

"Something like that."

"Are you sure it's a good idea to send someone out who just got discharged?"

Rena's dark eyes snapped open at the sound of approaching footsteps – missing the Hokages response.

She pushed off the wall and, slipping her hands into her pockets, causally began walking to her original destination: the front door.

"HE'S FINE YOU'LL SEE!"

 _SMACK!_

"WE'RE IN A HOSPITAL BE QUIET!"

The brunette stopped in her tracks, shocked when she saw pink hair. Sakura just rounded the hallway corner with a blond boy with the brightest blue eyes she's ever seen.

The girl opened her mouth to yell at the boy again before noticing Rena. Her face made a complete 180 and a wide grin made its way onto her face as she practically bounced over to the other female.

"Rena-chan! You've been discharged?"

Rena stiffly nodded, not taking her eyes off the boy behind her because he was sending her a bewiled look with his jaw wide open.

"Yeah, I'm leaving now," she softly spoke, subtly rubbing her thumbnail against the skin of her pointer finger.

"I have to bring you for a meal then!" Sakura grinned, "I did promise you after all!"

Rena tried waving her off, feeling uncomfortable by her generosity, "You really don't have to do that."

"No, I insist! Did you decide to stay in Konoha or are you gonna continue traveling?"

"…I'm staying here."

Her eyes brightened considerably, "I'll even bring you around town and show you some things then! It'll be really fun!"

"Who's your friend?" she awkwardly asked, never having removed her eyes from the shocked blond.

Sakura looked taken aback at the question before turning around and frowning. "Naruto don't give her that look! Be nice!" she growled.

"B-But she looks just like-" Sakura slapped her hand over the blond's mouth before he could say anything else.

In response, Rena elegantly raised a single eyebrow.

The pinkette awkwardly smiled, "This is Naruto, he's my loud teammate. We were just on our way to see our sensei. I'll meet you at the front desk and we can get some lunch okay? We shouldn't be that long."

Rena nodded, refusing to take her eyes off Naruto as the two passed her and entered the room she was just eavesdropping on.

There was something strange about that kid…

"What's ramen?"

Naruto looked like his world crashed around him at those two words.

"YOU'VE NEVER HAD RAMEN?!"

"That's what I just implied," Rena felt her eyebrow twitch. His constant screaming was starting to give her a headache, she had to actively dull her hearing to bear being around the kid.

Sakura swatted the blond, causing his chin to slam against his chest.

The dark-haired girl defiantly crossed her arms against her chest. "I'm more of a scavenger."

"Come on, I know a great place we can get a bite to eat at," Sakura grabbed Rena's hand (who was floored at the fact she touched her – no one _ever_ touches her) and pulled her through the busy streets of Konoha, it took all her willpower to not automatically dropkick the poor girl.

Sakura made it her duty to play tour guide and point out anything she deemed as important or worthy of acknowledging.

The brunette would never say it out loud, but Konoha was probably one of the prettiest and happiest villages she's ever visited. And it was _huge_. She was used to small villages where she could easily swipe a bite to eat or piece of clothing without anyone noticing. With all the ninja walking around it didn't seem like her tricks would work very well here…

"Here we are!"

Rena blinked herself out of her thoughts, taking in the stand before her - a glorious smell emitted from it. Sakura herded her over to one of the few stools and eagerly ordered them both bowls of 'miso ramen'.

Naruto energetically communicated with the chef, which caused Rena to quickly deduce that they had some sort of relationship.

It didn't take long for a steaming bowl of noodles with multiple toppings to be placed in front of her.

While Naruto and Sakura happily split their chopsticks, and thanked the chef for the food, Rena instead stared blankly into the bowl. She hesitantly peeked over at the teammates, noticing their content looks at eating their food.

With a steady hand, she reached forward for her own pair of wooden chopsticks. Splitting them in half she dipped them into the bowl, pulling out a small chunk of noodles, gently blowing on it before placing them into her mouth.

Her eyes widened in shock at the pure delicious flavor that hit her tongue.

It was unbelievable!

 _This is so delicious!_

Before she knew it, she inhaled her bowl, feeling incredibly satisfied.

A giggle met her ears as she placed the bowl back onto the table after gulping down the broth.

"So, you liked it?" Sakura questioned, smiling.

Rena supplied the girl with her own small smile, "It was delicious, thank you."

 _Thump._

The brunette whirled around, ready to attack whoever appeared behind them, only to freeze when she noticed the ANBU attire. Even she knew enough not to mess with ANBU.

"The Hokage requests Haruno Sakura and Rena's presence," was all the bird masked ANBU said as they flickered away.

Sakura blinked. "I wonder what she needs with us," she sighed, looking slightly dejected. "At least we were able to eat first." She turned to the blond who was slurping up his third bowl. "I'll see you later Naruto."

He said something around his mouthful of noodles, but it just came out as a gurgling sound.

The two females ignored his lack of manners and began the trek to the Hokage's office.

Rena's confusion only grew as Sakura guided her not to the leader's office, but instead onto a balcony within the same building. Tsunade leaned against the guard rail while there was an unknown brunette woman to the side, her face wary.

Tsunade's brown eyes bore into Rena's black ones.

"Tell me Rena-san, are you ready to be tested?"

Without hesitation she responded, "Anytime."

Tsunade's lip twitched at the response. "Then you will be joining a so far incomplete team for a mission to test your abilities and your loyalties. Sakura and Naruto will be a part of the team along with two other currently undecided members."

The teenager stiffly nodded.

 _His tongue is so nasty._

Rena barely suppressed an eyebrow twitch at the disturbing sentence, she really didn't want to know what was going on with that guy…

Sakura looked positively shocked at the news, but didn't question the leader.

Instead, Tsunade began to explain to the present women a spy they had to meet up with at Tenchi bridge who was working for a man named Orochimaru.

Before Rena could question anything, Tsunade threw a key and small pouch in her direction. She easily caught it.

"I understand you don't have anywhere to stay at the moment, so here's a house you can stay in until you can figure out something else. In the pouch should be more than enough for you to buy more clothes and supplies to be properly prepared for the mission. An ANBU will guide you to the home."

She didn't question the fact that the trio of women were clearly going to continue discussing the mission without her – or the fact that Naruto was hanging around the roof of the building.

An ANBU with a pig mask appeared in front of the brunette, wordlessly leading her to her destination. Rina took that opportunity to further absorb her surroundings.

She mentally questioned why she was being led so far from the main village, and where exactly she was granted to stay. Will she be alone? Will she be living with someone else? She really hoped she would be alone…

Her interest was piqued once she viewed thick walls with blue square pieces of fabric hanging from the top of the wooden doors, carelessly fluttering in the wind with a weird white and red design Rena's never seen before.

Pig wordlessly guided Rena through the ghost compound, the hairs on her arms immediately raised once they walked through those gates. Rena noted that the buildings encased within these walls haven't been inhabited in a long time.

Her veins were filled with a chill that was oddly warm. She didn't know how to explain it. It wasn't nice but it wasn't unpleasant either.

It was almost…. Welcoming.

Pig stopped in front of a large traditional styled house that was towards the center of the compound. Once she stepped forward the ANBU member flickered away (but Rena still felt their presence – she knew there was no way she would be left to her own devices).

Slowly, she slid the screen door open, gently pushing off her shoes.

She softly stepped into the house, feeling incredibly awkward, knowing it was someone's home at one point in time. She felt like an intruder.

The house was large, and filled with multiple family photos that lined the walls and sat atop different surfaces.

She stopped to stare at a particular picture. There was an older woman, an older man, a teenage boy and a male child. Her dark eyes squinted at one of the figures.

 _I know them…_

She didn't know how to feel, knowing that it was that person's house at one point in time. She only briefly met them, so their connection was almost nothing. The chances of her moving into their past home…

She shook her head.

Rena continued her venture through the unknown home. Cautiously, she sniffed the air, taking in the lack of human scents and heavy dust.

 _No one's lived here for a very long time._

 _Where are you?_

She robotically sat down on the living room couch, staring at the family portrait that hung above the mantel in front of her.

 _Some abandoned house. There are no scents, but family portraits are still everywhere._

 _Why would they move you into such a place?_

 _I don't know…_

That night was odd to say the least.

The energy in this place was confusing, filled with anger, resentment, loneliness and terror. She didn't understand any of it, and it made it incredibly difficult to sleep that night.

Rena decided to sleep on the couch because she felt too uncomfortable taking someone's bed (even though that person obviously lost claim over it long ago).

In the morning, she felt irritated by the Hokage having her stay here, it just felt _wrong_.

Ready for breakfast, she pushed her shoes back on and exited the compound (she felt the ANBU from before continue to follow her). The second she did she felt like she could breathe again, she felt light again.

Since she was unaware of any of the restaurants Konoha had to offer, she ended up back at the ramen stand from the day before.

The brunette easily picked up a mop of blond hair already slurping away at his own bowl of noodles before she even entered the stand.

"Good morning!" the chef called out, a wide smile on his aged face.

Rena softly greeted him, sliding into the seat next to Naruto. "I'll have one miso ramen please."

"Coming right up!"

Once Naruto finally noticed someone was sitting next to him, his blue eyes widened in surprise at Rena. Slurping up the noodles in his mouth, he said, "You eat ramen for breakfast too?!"

She shrugged, keeping her dark eyes on the chef as he moved around the small kitchen. "This is the only place I know I can trust so I came here."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at her response, but didn't question her. Instead, he continued working on his ramen.

Once Rena received her own portion the two ate in comfortable silence.

When they were done Naruto insisted on following Rena around when she excused herself to go shopping for new equipment.

The boy continuously chattered about nonsense as they walked to the weapons shop, that was until she walked inside.

Rena halted once she stepped foot into the store and Naruto didn't follow, when she turned around to question him his back was to her and he was looking up at the sky. She rolled her eyes and made her way deeper into the weapons shop, skillfully picking out the necessities.

The second she exited the stop Naruto continued babbling on (this time about some guy named Sai) without pause, and did the exact same thing once she entered a clothing shop. She felt incredibly overwhelmed by all the options.

She walked closer to the dark clothes section, gently pulling out an occasional piece of clothing from the rack to further inspect it.

 _This is stupid, why are there so many kinds of clothes?_

Before long she decided on a short black kimono with dark blue trim, the skirt was asymmetrical with black shorts underneath, and the over-sized sleeves went passed her wrists. Around the waist was a thick matching blue obi, and she topped the outfit off with over-the-knee black ninja boots and she was _finally_ able to buy some hair ties to finally tie her hair back up into a high ponytail, her bangs gently framing her pale face.

Finally, she had everything she needed and filled the new pack she bought before swinging it over her back and meeting up with Naruto outside.

"You don't talk much do you?" Naruto asked her as they walked together to the meet up point.

"I talk when it's necessary."

The blond made a face that he was lucky Rena didn't notice. "Geez, you're just like Sasuke."

"Who's Sasuke?"

Naruto never supplied her with an answer due to them approaching two males she didn't know and Sakura. Sakura looked incredibly peeved and Rena noted how Naruto's vibe immediately darkened. Rena stood in between Sakura and Naruto, with the younger unknown male on Sakura's other side and the older unknown male stood in front of the teenagers.

The older man with a upside down U-shaped metal face plate looked uncomfortable in the current situation. "My name is Yamato," he rubbed his pointer against the side of his head, "So, um… why don't you guys go ahead and introduce yourself… We really don't have time to socialize since we're going to be deploying almost immediately…"

The unknown teenage boy spoke up first, flashing the fakest smile Rena has ever seen, "I am Sai."

A tick mark appeared on Sakura's forehead, her green eyes darkening with irritation. "I'm Haruno Sakura."

"I'm Rena," she softly said, schooling her face into a blank look.

"Uzumaki Naruto," he grumbled, also giving Sai a look.

"Let me explain our mission," Yamato moved his hands to his hips, his voice deepening into an authoritarian tone, "All right, now that that's over with, the five of us will head to Tenchi Bridge, capture the Akatsuki spy who has infiltrated Orochimaru's organization, and bring him or her back here. This is our best chance to gain intelligence on Orochimaru and Uchiha Sasuke," Rena's ears twitched at the name, "information we can then use to plan Orochimaru's assassination and Sasuke's retrieval. So, keep that in mind! As soon as everyone's gear is all packed, rendezvous at the main gate. Then we'll depart!"

Naruto and Sakura immediately turned away from the group to leave, Sakura brushed against Rena, nudging her along.

Once they were out of ear shot from the other two Naruto spoke up, "That jerk Sai… I already can't stand him!" he grumbled.

He immaturely kicked a small rock in his path, "Why does HE have to be Sasuke's replacement? Team Kakashi is fine with just the three of us!"

"Okay, who the hell is this Sasuke person?" Rena questioned, noticing they were making their way towards the Hokage tour.

An odd silence fell upon the trio, Rena noting the way Naruto and Sakura shared glances.

"He was our teammate…" Sakura softly spoke, a faraway look in her eyes. Rena was unfamiliar with the look that was in the pinkette's eyes. "We all went to the Academy together, trained together and even took the Chunin exams together."

Rena kept her lips shut due to the pure emotion in Sakura's voice.

The group continued their trek in silence.

They dropped off Sakura at the Hokage tower, then Rena followed Naruto back to his house where she parted from him.

She slowly made her way through the city, already having filled her pack with rations and everything she would need for the mission earlier when Naruto was following her like a puppy.

Taking a deep breath, she took in the dozens of scents around her, trying to tie them into memory. There was oddly something familiar about the scents that wafted around her, but she shrugged it off as something she's smelled at other villages.

The happiness and pure joy that rolled off the villagers that surrounded her was confusing, but slightly calming.

 _Wow, you're incredibly calm._

The corner of her lip twitched upwards. _It's hard not to be here, there's just so much life. It's… incredible. I've never felt something like this before._

A slight flare of jealousy ran through her, causing her lips to form a full smirk. She knew what the voice was living through, and they've discussed it numerous times, but no matter what she says to try and convince him to leave that horrible place he would never listen and go on one of his infamous monologues about how he had to kill his brother.

She got tired of hearing the same monologue over and _over_ again so she just stopped bringing up the topic.

Once she realized the time she calmly made her way to the front gates, her arms tucked comfortably into her oversized sleeves.

She didn't have to wait long, the other members of her team showed up swiftly.

Yamato gave them a sheepish look before proclaiming, "Okay this is it, go Team Kakashi!"

* * *

I know this chapter was a bit boring but it was a necessary filler before things start to heat up next chapter!

So, I was debating before if Rena should be paired up or not with someone and I wanted to hear your guys thoughts on it. Please let me know in the comments who you would want her paired up with, or if you want her not paired up at all! I'm open to pairing her with all genders, my only pet peeve is her partners age. Keep in mind she is currently 16~


	4. Blue

Responses To Comments With Questions:

 **time-twilight** : I'll be able to show some of Rena's prowess in the next chapter, but I'd definitely like to think that her strength is closer to Sasuke's than Ino's! As for your other questions, you'll have to wait and see! ;)

Thank you **time-twilight** , **Shewolf** , **Oblivion168** , **speedy-skye** , **Scarlet** , **Guest and Minato** for reviewing!

* * *

Rena felt a vein on her forehead grow more visible as Naruto ranted on their – incredibly slow – walk to their destination. All she wanted to do was sprint on ahead and get this mission over with so she could step away from the obnoxious blond, especially when he threw a temper tantrum about having Sai replacing Sasuke (but she did smirk in amusement when Sakura punched Sai in the face).

 _Just slit his throat._

 _No, I can't kill this one._

When they finally stopped for the night she was extremely relieved.

The best part?

They were staying somewhere that had hot springs.

She's never even entertained the idea of being able to stay somewhere with hot springs. The childish excitement that bubbled in her as she and Sakura entered the hot springs made her giddy. The second her toe hit the steaming water she felt a sudden relaxation run over her entire being, she didn't even react to Sakura's giggle at her reaction.

"OKAY FIRST OF ALL, I AM NOT COMFORTABLE IN THIS SETTING AT ALL!"

Both Sakura and Rena made similar facial expressions at the outburst that was undoubtably Naruto's boisterous voice.

"Well, the dumbass managed to make me tense again," Rena mumbled aloud, slowly sinking further into the hot water.

"So, Rena-chan, what's your favorite color?" Sakura questioned as the two women walked back to their shared room after getting out of the hot springs.

The raven hummed aloud at the question. "Blue, you?"

"Red," Sakura smiled. "Your favorite food?"

Rena was growing confused by the weird questions but answered, "Onigiri with okaka, you?"

"Syrup-coated anko dumplings!" as they approached their room Sakura pulled out the key from her pocket to unlock the door. "Do you have any hobbies, Rena-chan?"

The brunette rubbed her thumb against her forefinger as they entered the room, the two plopping down on the floor next to the floor table. "What are hobbies?"

The pinkette looked taken aback, then a look of sadness flashed behind her bright green eyes. "Things you enjoy doing, something that can be a stress reliever or just makes you really excited. For example, I like to play trivia games."

The taller girl subconsciously tilted her head to the side, thinking.

Sakura grew nervous at the others sudden quietness and hastily told her it was fine but Rena opened her mouth to say, "Learning about Konoha."

The kunoichi felt touched at the other girl's unpredictable words, treating her to a genuinely warm smile. Rena hesitantly duplicated her facial expression, but before they made eye contact her eyes zoned in on an innocent bouquet of flowers atop a side table in the very corner of the wood paneled room.

When Sakura noticed her gaze she turned around, only noticing a small bouquet of blue tulips, asking her what she was looking at.

Rena simply shook her head, telling the other girl she was tired and was going to retire to bed. Sakura agreed and they laid down after turning the lights off.

 _"_ _KILL HIM!"_

 _Her red eyes stared unblinkingly into the terrified eyes of the young boy horrifically shaking in front of her. The dirt from the ground caked his trembling legs from when he was previously dragged into the arena, his bony hands barely holding onto an extremely dull kunai that couldn't do any damage without the proper force._

 _Her stance was straight-backed, her hand calmly resting on the hilt of her katana, her face dull._

 _"_ _I won't kill you," she whispered._

 _She wouldn't spill unnecessary and such innocent blood. What was the point?_

 _A snarl met her ears and she felt her body being yanked back by the shoulder. A heavy hand painfully clamped down on her shoulder and whirled her around, her eyes staring at the nose at one of the yukata's (she made the mistake before looking one of them in the eyes when she had her red eyes activated and was practically beat into an inch of her life – she wasn't going to do that again)._

 _"_ _Your purpose is to kill! So, KILL THE BOY!"_

 _"_ _No," her voice was leveled, quiet._

 _The yukata yelled out some expletives before screeching that she should go back to her room if she wasn't going to do her duty._

 _Her eyes faded to black and she walked away from the scene, she couldn't hide her amusement in her smile as she left the arena and could still clearly hear the childlike anger behind her._

 _"_ _Nii-chan!"_

 _A wide smile made its way onto Rena's face once she heard Mizuki's voice._

 _Even with all she's experienced, the twelve-year-old was still able to carry around a bright, childlike demeanor. And that was one of the things Rena loved about her._

 _Her tiny hands were cupped around something, her cheeks flushed as she stood in front of Rena. "Look what I made!"_

 _She held up her cupped hands to Rena's face, proudly uncovering them to reveal a pristine blue tulip._

 _Rena's eyes shined with pride. "It's beautiful!"_

 _"_ _Good, 'cause it's for you!" Mizuki widely grinned._

 _"_ _Really?" her voice became tight at the simple present._

 _"_ _Yup! I made it special for Nii-chan!"_

 _Rena gratefully took the flower from Mizuki's hands, cradling it in her hands with the utmost care._

 _"_ _Thank you," she smiled._

 _"_ _KILL HER!"_

 _Irritation wove itself through Rena's head at the achingly familiar scene in front of her._

 _This time it was a young girl with long dark blonde hair, holding desperately to an equally dull kunai as the boy before her. Tears freely flowed from her terrified eyes._

 _Instead of attacking the girl, Rena opened her mouth to let out a mocking yawn._

 _"_ _THAT'S IT!"_

 _The same man from the other day – it was always him – stomped out of the arena yelling something Rena didn't bother to focus her chakra into her ears to hear._

 _It was just Rena and the girl._

 _"_ _What's your name?"_

 _The girl looked surprised at the question, hesitantly responding with a shaky, "A-Ayame."_

 _Rena hummed in thought. "Well Ayame, my name is Rena."_

 _The girls shaking stopped, but she still tightly held the kunai in her fist._

 _"_ _Where are we?" she harshly whispered._

 _Rena raised an eyebrow at the question. "The arena," her eyes narrowed. "Have you never been here before?"_

 _"_ _I've never been in this facility before. My team was knocked out and I woke up here two days ago."_

 _Before Rena could continue her questioning to the girl the familiar yukata returned with two people in tow._

 _Rena's red eyes widened in horror at the view before her._

 _Hiding cowardly behind the protective glass that surrounded the perimeter of the arena stood the wildly smiling yukata and one of the male guards, his arms wrapped around –_

 _"_ _Mizuki," she whispered, cold horror surging through her veins._

 _The yukata let out a harsh chuckle. "Since you wouldn't fight, I had to find something to… motivate you. If you don't kill your opponent, she dies."_

 _To show he was serious, the unknown man holding Mizuki pulled out a sharp kunai, pressing it against her bare throat._

 _Mizuki's eyes glistened with fear. "Nii-san," she softly cried, hot tears falling down her innocent face._

 _Rena cursed the man, her red eyes turning back to Ayame. Her eyes widened when she saw the look on the other girl's face._

 _There was an… understanding._

 _Rena tightly shut her red eyes, taking a deep breath before snapping them open again and swiftly decapitating the girl, her blood spraying onto Rena's face and drenching the floor._

 _An ugly glee filled squeal met her ears, before the same young boy from before entered the arena._

 _"_ _KILL HIM!"_

 _She decapitated him._

 _She didn't know where they got so many victims, but she swiftly and painlessly killed them all._

 _For the ones that tried to run and she couldn't properly decapitate she stabbed through the heart._

 _For the ones that tried to fight back she sliced their jugular._

 _Before she knew it, she was covered in her victim's blood, countless bodies surrounding her._

 _"_ _YES! YES!"_

 _She held in a snarl at the yukata's ugly exclamation._

 _She cursed the man when a whole group of victims entered the arena at once._

 _The raven tried her best to end their lives as quickly as possible in that endless slaughter. With her eyes it was almost too easy to kill them all – it was laughable. It was too easy to be a murderer._

 _When the last body fell – a brunette female – she was left heavily panting in the center of the arena, the metallic smell of blood insulting her noise and the sticky red liquid was starting to cake on differing parts of her body._

 _"_ _Now," she whirled to the yukata, "LET HER GO!" Her chest desperately heaved, agony lacing her voice, her hand still clutching onto the end of her katana. Her heart beat heavily in her chest, anxiety flowing through her solid veins as her eyes absorbed Mizuki's position._

 _The man stepped forward, his hands behind his back. "Ya' know, if this is how you respond just by her being captive I wonder how you'll respond if she… dies?"_

 _Rena's eyes widened in horror, her body immediately surging forward, slamming against the protective glass, which just harmlessly bounced back from the bouncy._

 _She was a foot from the terrified twelve-year-old, her fists desperately pounding on the unbreakable glass. She had to save her, she had to!_

 _Nonononononononononono._

 _She watched in pure horror as the man who was holding her pulled back the kunai and effortlessly sliced her throat._

 _The teenagers body went cold, her eyes terrified as she watched the girls' life liquid seep from her small throat, her head slumped down in pure death._

 _"_ _Mi-Mizuki…" she whispered, willing the girl to pick up her head. She couldn't comprehend the scene before her._

 _The yukata merely laughed at the scene, his yellow teeth shining in the dull lighting._

 _She gritted her teeth at the sound, anger flowing through her veins like lava. The previous coldness that surged through her veins was rapidly replaced with molten lava. Her entire body felt like it was on fire. Blood freely flowed from her eyes, turning her pale cheeks into a beautiful crimson red, it was hothothothothot and she was so madmadmadmadmad._

 _She was going to kill that man._

 _With an inhuman scream she felt something bubble to the surface, a power she never felt before. With all the strength she had, Rena grabbed onto that power – releasing it._

 _She wildly grinned as she watched the yukata's eyes widen in horror, the girl cried out gleefully as she witnessed his fat, ugly body become engulfed by black flames._

 _Her screams of agony and anger did nothing but feed the fire, before everything surrounding her was ensnared by the hungry black flames._

Rena surged upright from her blankets on the ground, a cold sweat coating her entire body, her chest heaving for much needed oxygen.

 _Are you alright?_

 _I'm fine._

As she fought for breath, her eyes flickered to Sakura's still form, confirming that she was still asleep from the subtle rising of her chest.

The young girl threw the heavy blankets off her sweating form and swiftly made her way outside.

She felt slightly renewed in the cool air, taking deep breaths to will the heat out of her body.

She sat atop a large, flat rock not too far from the Inn, her dark eyes closed to the world around her.

"You okay?"

The raven didn't move at the sound of the now familiar voice, she previously sensed him coming from a mile away.

"I'm fine," she responded, tired, keeping her eyes closed to reality.

Rena heard him snort and plop down on the rocks flat face next to her. "That doesn't sound very convincing."

The brunette felt irritation weave its way into her head. "Why are you out here?"

"Because you're upset."

She slowly opened her eyes, settling them on the tree line in front of her. She kept her mouth shut, not knowing how to respond.

"You know," the blond continued, "you remind me of my best friend."

Rena slowly turned her head towards Naruto, supplying him with a confused look. She took note of the wistful look on his face, the peaceful smile that softened his features.

"You're both quiet and like to depend on only yourself. Whenever we would do things together as a team he would scoff and say he's better off alone, that he didn't need anybody, that others would just hold him down. But… it's okay to depend on others. It doesn't make you weak or any less of a ninja, I think it makes you stronger to be able to forge bonds with others. Because it's a two-way street, it's not just you depending on someone else but it's someone else depending on you, too. It's an equal push-and-pull."

Rena gave him a surprised look at his words, never expecting him to say anything that amounted to him containing an ounce of intelligence.

"And it's okay to make mistakes, we're only human, right?" he supplied her with a bright grin, gently nudging her shoulder with his own.

The boy surprised her when he let out a deep chuckle, "You know you and Sasuke look a lot alike too! I swear you guys could be twins!"

 _There's that word again._

"Who exactly is Sasuke to you?" she softly questioned, her dark eyes settled on his ocean blue ones.

She noticed the somber look that took over his features, the way his lips relaxed and his shoulders slightly slumped, but there was still a light in his eyes. "My best friend, my brother. We've been through a lot together, and I care about him very much. He did some things I don't approve of but I still care for him – because that's what friends do. We're there for each other through thick and thin," his eyes brightened once more, pride flowing through him, "And I'm going to bring him home! Even if I have to drag the basterd back the entire way myself!"

Rena couldn't help but let a smile grace her face at his reaction. "I'm sure you'll be successful Naruto."

The boy looked taken aback but let loose another bright grin.

The next day was incredibly uneventful, their walk was thankfully silent this time and Rena was actually able to think thanks to the blessed silence.

Well, it was uneventful until –

"Mokuton Shichuka No Jutsu!"

Rena hastily jumped back as pillars of dark wood surged from the previously pristine ground. Her eyes widened in awe as the wood grew and twisted seamlessly together to create a large building with the Konoha symbol proudly shining above the door.

"We'll camp out here tonight," Yamato called out from atop the newly erected structure.

"Um… I don't think this really qualifies as camping out…" Sakura mumbled.

Once they entered the building Rena was surprised to see that it was just one large room, everyone placed their stuff down while also taking in the new building.

"All right, gather around everyone," Yamato called out from his sitting position on the floor, a single lit candle flickering in front of him, "Oh, and Sakura there are a few things I especially need to ask you."

Sakura turned around from her spot in front of the windows, "What about?"

Yamato adopted a serious look, "With regard to the Akatsuki member Sasori."

 _Akatsuki?_

She felt a wave of animosity flow through her at the thought.

Yamato seriously continued, "I received his file from Suna but it would be helpful if you could fill in any blanks about his personality, speed patterns, mannerisms or quirks, after all, you're the only one here who's gone toe-to-toe with him."

"What do you need to know all that for?" Naruto butted in, quirking an eyebrow.

"The Akatsuki spy who has infiltrated Orochimaru's ranks expects to rendezvous with Sasori at Tenchi Bridge. They might catch me right away but I'm going to try and approach them disguised as Sasori."

Sai straightened up. "Spy work entrails pretty high risk so your target will definitely have their guard up."

"True," their captain agreed, "and there's still a small chance this is an Akatsuki trap… I've planned for that possibility as well. That's why I'll approach first, alone. You four will lie in wait until I signal you."

Sakura subtly bowed her head. "There was an Akatsuki spy, Yura, in the Sand Village as well and the way Sasori mentioned it, just before he died… I don't think it's a lie but-"

Sai coldly cut her off (ignoring the pinkettes irritated look), "Either way this spy… is most likely quite strong and accomplished."

"Yeah well," Naruto peered through his blond bangs, determination in his cerulean blue eyes, "so are we."

Rena couldn't help but smirk at the blond's attitude, a weird sense of pride filling her.

"The devil is in the details. Well team, here's the mission from A to Z," Yamato spoke, "our one and only goal is a _live capture_ so the target must _not_ be killed or injured no matter what. Even if it means having to fight them. If they're killed, we lose our only source of intelligence.

"Therefore, this mission is even harder than when you just have to take down the enemy. And because it's such a delicate situation this must of off without a hitch. So… while you four act as backup and I'll go ahead and try to capture the target by myself. If, by some chance, my disguise is penetrated and it is revealed that I am, in fact, not Sasori a battle will likely ensue. Then, and only then, do you shift to combat mode entering the fray on my signal alone.

"We will fight in pairs at all times. Every warriors action will be covered by their partner. The watchword, people, is Teamwork. So, the pairings are," the captain took an unnecessarily dramatic pause.

"Squad one will be… Naruto and Rena."

The two clashed eyes, nodding to each other.

"Squad two will be Sai and Sakura."

Sakura did little to hide her irritation at having to pair up with the emotionless piece of paper. "But…" Yamato visibly hesitated, eyes squared on Sakura. "You're the teams only medic ninja. We can't afford to have you injured so Sai is going to keep you covered at all costs."

At the mention of his name, Sai supplied them with one of his disturbingly fake smiles and a miniscule nod.

"In light of what I just told you this isn't standard procedure, but half of tomorrow will be focused on pair simulation exercises. Everything I know about you four comes from your files. I need to assess firsthand your battle style and skills the makeup of our jutsu, etc.

The man practically scoffed at his next words. "Clearly, it's the only way I'm ever going to forge this team into the cohesive fighting unit it needs to be. Kakashi-sensei may have favored a more lax approach… But I am not he."

The younger ninja in the room couldn't relax due to their captain's words for the rest of the night.

Rena felt herself a bit on edge for the rest of the night, wondering what abilities she should show tomorrow in their simulation.

* * *

So the voting so far for Rena's paring are :

5 - Naruto  
2 - Shikamaru  
2 - Shino  
1 - Gaara  
1 - Neji

But fear not! Voting is still continuing so please vote away~!

So, I'll be honest that I really don't want to re-write everything from the Naruto canon because (1) I find it a waste of time and (2) If I don't find it incredibly important I don't think it's valuable to include if Rina isn't going to react to it. I hope you guys can be understanding that I rather focus on Rena's story than wasting time re-writing word-for-word the Naruto canon story.


	5. Red

Thank you **speedy-skye, time-twilight, Oblivion168, Guest, Bluebird, S123456, bonitalito** , and **orlha** for reviewing!

* * *

The yellow sun warmed the small grass covered clearing in the woods, a light breeze mindlessly ruffling the hair of the clearings five occupants.

Yamato stood on his own, a single hand hidden in his pants pocket. Directly across from him Rena and Naruto were shoulder to shoulder – the blond had a determined look on his face, his body shifted into a fighting stance while the raven calmly stood tall, her hand gently resting on the hilt of her katana.

Sai and Sakura stood against the tree line.

Without a moments notice Naruto surged forward, aiming a kick at their captains ribs – who seamlessly flickered away before reappearing and delivering a solid punch to Naruto's right shoulder.

Rena hung back as she watched Naruto and Yamato in hand-to-hand combat, her eyes carefully absorbed the scene before her, waiting for the perfect moment that she could jump in and overwhelm the older ninja - all the while critiquing Naruto's techniques.

Naruto growled as he was kicked back, his sandals digging into the ground as he skidded across the grassy floor. He threw his hands in front of himself calling out, "Bunshin no Jutsu!" Three other Naruto's appeared, all charging towards Yamato with identical screams and one by one being destroyed with ease.

The only female in the battle rolled her eyes before deciding she had to jump in before Naruto made a bigger fool of himself. It's been awhile before she had to fight a competent opponent, and her veins were lit with excitement at the opportunity.

She released her hold from her katana and flickered behind Yamato's unsuspecting body as he was fending off Naruto. She delivered a back kick.

Yamato whirled around, easily catching her ankle in his grip and aiming a punch towards her stomach. Rena smoothly twisted in his hold, forcing her other leg forward to knee him in the chin, causing the man to release her. The raven performed a triple back handspring to create distance between them, dodging the upper cut that was directed towards her as she straightened up.

Her keen dark eyes picked up on the man's movements, she melted into defense in order to counter all his assaults, being pushed back closer and closer to the tree line. Her eyes picked up movement behind him, making her cast a substitution on her body and switch with a harmless log. She softly landed on a hidden branch high up in one of the surrounding trees.

Naruto ended up creating a bunshin that looked identical to Rena, the Rena bunshin holding out her thin hand to help harness a rasengan. Yamato swiftly caught on to what was happening and sent forth multiple thick branches from the ground to grab hold of both Naruto and the bunshin. The bunshin popped out of existence.

Rena brought a single hand up to her face whispering to herself, "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" sending a large ball of fire in the fighting males direction.

Yamato's eyes comically widened before he jumped away from Naruto, releasing him from his wooden prison.

Naruto grinned, casting more bunshins as their captain was preoccupied with dodging flames.

Rena rolled her eyes.

 _Is casting bunshins all this dumbass can do?_

She jumped out of the trees to join the fray, the two younger ninja attacked with pure taijutsu at that point, keen on taking down their commander.

Once Yamato had Naruto's right ankle in his left hand and Rena had her katana pressed against his back he announced the simulation was over.

Rena immediately jumped back, sheathing her katana and standing next to Sakura who congratulated her on her skills.

Naruto practically stomped over to the other three, standing in front of Sai with his hands in his pockets and his face twisted in irritation. "You learn anything watching?"

Sai treated the blond with a blank face. "The fact you used a technique clearly only you could use under the guise of your teammate says enough that you don't understand how to practically fight a knowledgeable opponent."

Naruto gritted his teeth at the comment.

"It's impractical to fight while covering for someone who can't maintain his cool… not to mention dangerous. You didn't take the valid option and instead put you and Rena-san in danger."

Rena and Sakura's eyes widened when Naruto physically pushed Sai away from him, and turning around with his back facing them.

"I… will never accept you as my comrade or as a member of this team!"

In the background Yamato was exasperated, placing a hand against his forehead.

"… I wonder what Sasuke would have done in this scenario? Would he have fought while covering you? Somehow, I doubt it," Sai managed a painfully fake smile as he spoke. Naruto side-eyed him in response.

Rena stepped closer to Sakura as she felt the pinkette fidget uncomfortably.

"He betrayed our village and tried to kill you," Sai offhandedly added, "and still you consider him a comrade?"

Naruto whirled around, his eyes becoming icy blue. "Yes, and I would still do anything to save him, even if I have to team up with the likes of you."

After a fit of silence Sai commented, "This obsession with Sasuke, it's absurd-"

"Naruto," Sakura cut the emotionless boy off, "thinks of Sasuke as a brother. You have an older brother so you must know what that's like."

Rena's interest was piqued at the new information.

"No," Sai emotionlessly spoke.

Sakura gave him a distraught look, her green eyes troubled.

Just like that, Sai replaced his emotionless face with a 'smile', "Remember our conversation about the picture titles? I don't have feelings."

The medic-nin looked troubled at the boy's words. "What do you mean you don't have feelings? He's your brother. Surely you must feel something-"

"I mean exactly what I said," Sai cut her off, his face still.

Sakura looked over at Naruto leaning against a tree, taking in how his nails dug into the innocent bark.

"But even so," she turned to Sai, "you have a brother so you must be able to imagine even a little what it would feel like to lose him."

"Hmmm?" Sai 'smiled' with his eyes closed. "Ah, well you see... my brother is dead."

Yamato and Rena turned their head towards Sai.

Sakura frowned, "Even more of a reason to feel something then…" she trailed off.

"And what face would I make to show that I did? One like that…?" Sai countered, referring to Sakura's worried expression. Her green eyes peeked over at Naruto's quiet form before returning to Sai. "Sai... I don't…"

"Well," Sai spoke, his face facing the tree line instead of any of the other shinobi, "when my brother died, I didn't know what kind of expression I was supposed to be making."

Rena took in Sakura's peeved expression, her nose wrinkled in irritation.

"Enough chit chat," Yamato cut in. "We're falling behind schedule, so everyone grab your packs."

The pinkette fixed Sai a hard look, her brows furrowed. "Lucky you, Sai. Truth be told, I was just about to clobber you again. I warned you if you kept badmouthing Sasuke, I wouldn't hold back.

"The only reason I didn't knock you into tomorrow was because of what Naruto said, that in order to rescue Sasuke, he'd team up with even you. For once, he's being more forgiving than I am… but if you can help us get our teammate back I can't afford to hurt even you."

Sai momentarily closed his eyes. "Sakura… you and Naruto… how do I say this… you're being considerate of his feelings? Am I right?

"I really don't understand how such feelings come about… though there was something about it in this book-"

"Can we just go already?" Naruto butt it, his eyes fierce. Rena found herself agreeing with him, she was done listening to this particular conversation. "If we're not in place before noon tomorrow, this mission is over before it even starts."

The rest of the walk to the bridge was in an awkward silence, growing more tense the closer they came to their destination.

Once they approached the bridge, the younger shinobi got into position, hiding in the woods behind a mound of dirt, eyes focused on Yamato.

Their captain was in perfect disguise as Sasori, creaking as he moved closer to the white cloaked person standing alone in the center of the bridge.

"Sasori," the cloaked person spoke. They pulled back their hood showing a young face with grey hair and circle-rimmed glasses, "How the time flies."

Rena noticed Sakura and Naruto's familiar looks, taking note.

"No tail…?" Yamato questioned in a gruff voice.

"None, I assure you…" he trailed off.

"How do you feel?"

The cloaked man's body was half-turned towards the side of the bridge. "There remains some disorientation from when your jutsu dissolved and I started remember who I really was… but it'll pass…"

"Him again!" Naruto harshly whispered.

Sakura's expression was bleak, "I can't believe… the Akatsuki spy is Kabuto!"

Yamato continued to question the now named Kabuto as to where Sasuke was located.

Rena had to focus chakra to her ears to be able to hear Kabuto's over-drawn answer and how he claimed that the hideout he was staying at was the same location that Sasuke was holding up at.

"Blast! The wind's so strong, I can't hear a thing!" Naruto complained, to which Sakura scolded him.

However, the winds soon became so strong that even Rena's enhanced hearing couldn't pick anything up. Her eyes narrowed, trying to read Kabuto's lips, but she was too far away.

"What's Yamato waiting for? He should just grab him already!" Naruto complained.

"And risk the mission if he fails?" Sakura countered. "This is Kabuto we're talking about. Better safe than sorry…"

"Maybe," Sai interjected. "But Yamato doesn't want Kabuto to become suspicious, either. If he does… this mission's already failed."

The four continued to look on, deaf to the interrogation happening before them.

Rena's dark eyes widened when a black haired man with a resemblance to a snake popped up, a large green snake appearing and wrapping itself around a surprised Kabuto, who flickered out of his cloak and next to the fake Sasori.

Naruto cried out, "Orochimaru!"

The four helplessly watched from afar, not able to do anything as the three men conversed.

"What do we do?!" Naruto hastily questioned.

"Nothing," Sakura said. "We sit tight till Commander Yamato gives us the signal."

However, just after Sakura uttered those words Kabuto attacked their captain, slicing through the top of his wooden suit, causing Yamato to resort to jumping out and revealing himself.

Orochimaru, with a gross smirk, shot out numerous snakes from his arm that ensnared the Konoha ninja, biting into his flesh. But, Yamato substituted his body for a wooden double. He dropped down onto the bridge, in a crouched position.

Rena felt her body tense, not knowing what conversation was happening between the three men.

Then there it was.

The signal.

The four rushed out of their hiding place, landing on the bridge with light thumps in front of their commander.

"You again," Kabuto lightly smirked, his face arrogant.

"Well now," Orochimaru softly hissed, "isn't this a pleasant reunion. And I see you brought the nine-tails child. Excellent. I've been waiting for such an opportunity to see which one is stronger now… Naruto… or Sasuke."

Rena took a split moment to look over at Naruto's tense face, taking in the red hue of his previously ocean blue eyes and his elongated fangs. She felt a chill run up her spine.

A growl ripped itself from the blond's throat. "Give… SASUKE BACK!" he growled, red wisps of terrifying, potent chakra swirling around his kneeling form.

"Give Sasuke back? You're getting off track," Kabuto coldly responded. "Sasuke came to us of his own accord. Because he wanted to. Why can't you just accept the truth?"

"SHUT UP FOUR EYES!" Sakura screamed, causing Rena to flinch. "You don't understand how people feel. You only know cold logic!"

The corner of the snake looking man raised. "If you want to know about Sasuke, you'll have to force me to tell you… if you can that is!"

 _BOOM!_

Rena threw her arms in front of her, trying to protect her face and vitals from the unexpected explosion.

 _What the fuck was that?!_

 _Are you okay?!_

Rena couldn't even waste thinking, her dark eyes trying to look through the smoke. The hair on the back of her neck and top of her forearms raised at the feeling of pure anger and rage that met her. She desperately wanted to activate her bloodline limit – her mind was screaming at her to for her own safety - but knew it was better not to.

Her nails dug into the bridges thick wood when she felt the previously still bridge sway and creak beneath them, she felt the vibrations run through her feet and up her legs.

When the smoke cleared from her vision, fear ran through her.

 _What's going on?!_

There was no way she could answer the voice, her fear froze her on the spot. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak and she couldn't think. Her entire being was filled with fear, her eyes horrifically wide as she watched the sweet Naruto be encased in a red swirling rage.

She could barely focus on the words being shared by both sides, her eyes firmly set on Naruto's red bordered, crouched body in the center of the bridge. The raven picked up something about an 'experiment'.

Her body unconsciously shifted into a protective stance, she didn't know what this being was that took over Naruto, she didn't even know if Naruto was still Naruto, but what she did know was that there was potential that she needed to protect those around her… from him.

"…So, I extracted his DNA and inserted it into the cells of sixty children," Orochimaru hissed, rubbing the peeling skin off his face. "Unfortunately, their inferior bodies rejected the superior genetic material. They died in rapid succession, one after another. I'd thought they'd all perished, I can't believe there was a survivor."

Rena picked up Yamato's forlorn face, easily figuring out the potential of this conversation being about the older man.

"Well, Lord Orochimaru, if one experiment was a success, we could obtain a sample," Kabuto egged the snake genius on.

"Yessss," Orochimaru hissed, "Time to pit Sasuke-kun against Naruto and see once and for all, who is strongest."

If it was possible, Naruto's fangs lengthened further. "You don't own Sasuke." The boys anger grew, firing through his veins and his body, feeding his agony and pain, causing two other chakra tails to sprout from his back, the bubbling red chakra was overwhelming.

Rena wanted to take a step back, but she couldn't. She wouldn't.

"DON'T TALK ABOUT SASUKE LIKE YOU OWN HIM! ESPECIALLY IN FRONT OF ME!" he screeched, his voice coated with something demonic than the raven never heard before that moment.

With a mighty screech, Naruto unleashed a giant wall of energy, pushing everyone back.

Rena bit the inside of her cheek, her eyes closed due to the sheer power of the winds whipping around her, her hands desperately grabbing for anything sturdy.

The feeling of the bridge breaking under her and the sound of a bird's cry snapped her eyes open. She looked on in horror as Sakura's unconscious body hurtled towards the dark bottom of the ravine.

She yanked out a kunai from her pouch, hurriedly wrapping some wire around it before diving off the breaking bridge head first.

It took a few seconds for her to catch up to Sakura's falling figure, securely wrapping a single pale arm around the pinkette she threw the kunai, smirking when it grabbed a secure hold on a tree branch. The two swung across the gorge, Rena brought her feet up and braced for impact as she slammed against the side of the mountain. She secured Sakura under her arm before charging her chakra into the soles of her feet and leaping upwards.

Once she safely landed onto the grass with a soft thump, she gently placed the medic-nin down, whirling around to watch the battle.

 _SHIT!_

Her body effortlessly flew back from another wave of crimson chakra, her head bashing against a tree before knocking the raven unconscious.

The teenager felt a breeze brush against her limp body.

She let out a light groan, rolling herself onto her stomach, shakily pulling her weight up with her hands.

"You're up!"

She visibly recoiled from the loud voice, placing the palm of her hand against her aching head.

"Good, now we can get moving," Yamato's authority tone encouraged the girl to properly stand up.

She ignored the whirl going through her brain, instead questioning, "Where's Sai?"

The commander shifted uncomfortably. "He's on the move with Orochimaru."

Rena blinked in surprise. "Okay, when I was knocked out I missed a lot, didn't I?"

The group made their way down to where the bridge was.

"Sai's stuff is all over the place," Sakura pointed out, picking up a familiar small book from underneath the covering of a scroll.

"For him to have left his prized possessions behind, even he must have been pretty rattled by Orochimaru," Yamato commented.

"So… you know?" Sakura gave him an uncomfortable look, Rena shot the commander a suspicious look.

"Until now, I was in communication with my wood doppleganger, who was here, via our wireless implants."63

"So, what happened to Sai?" Rena crossed her arms across her chest, still feeling incredibly unnerved from what happened before.

"Well, after exchanging words with Orochimaru here, Sai left with him and Kabuto."

"What do you mean… 'left' with?" Naruto questioned, Rena subconsciously shied away at the sound of his voice.

Sakura straightened up from her position on the ground, Sai's sketchbook in hand. "So, you also know what they said to each other."

"Unfortunately, my double was too far away to overhear their conversation."

"I wonder what they were talking about?" Naruto wondered.

Sakura's eyes hardened. "Maybe he was threatened or intimated into going with them?"

Yamato quickly threw down that idea.

"Whoa! Hold on!" Naruto yelled. "I don't like the guy either, but there's no way he'd betray us!"

As Yamato began describing a man named Danzo and how Sai was working under him, her mind was otherwise occupied.

 _What the hell is going on with you?_

 _…I'm fine,_

 _No, you're not, what the fuck happened before you got knocked out?_

She inwardly cursed, of course he would know she was knocked out.

 _Something…. Something powerful. I don't understand it, but I'm fine. Everything's fine._

 _Everything isn't fucking fine if you were fucking knocked out. Who the fuck did it?_

When the raven came back to the conversation happening in front of her (pointedly ignoring the raging voice) she picked up on how this Danzo character was trying to destroy Konoha, and potentially using Sai as a spy to gain rank under Orochimaru.

"We need to get moving immediately," Yamato ordered.

They would have sprinted into the woods but… Naruto instead fell flat on his face.

Sakura cried out in shock, hurrying over to his side to try and wake him.

"We'll have to leave him behind. He should at least have enough strength to get back to the village on his own," their commander reasoned.

The pinkette was appalled by the thought. "Kakashi-sensei would never-!"

"S'okay Sakura-chan… I'm fine I swear. I can keep up!" Naruto grinned up at her, a single ocean blue eye open.

"Look," Yamato reasoned, "I've been teamed with Kakashi before, in the black ops, I know what he's like. I may be his substitute, but I'm not him. I'm not the type to laugh and say that I would never let you guys get her. You are no longer apprentice ninja that need to be protected. You're full-fledged shinobi that must one day surpass Kakashi and bear Konoha on your shoulders.

"There is a difference between compassion and coddling. If we don't chase after them now, we'll never catch Orochimaru. If we falter here, it's all over. There are no second chances when it comes to Orochimaru."

The ninja surged into the woods. They dove forward in full speed, that was until Sakura's arm gave out and she instead began diving towards the ground. Before Rena could get to her, Yamato caught her. Rena and Naruto huddled around the two.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto frowned, kneeling in front of the injured girl. His eyes fastened on the three claw-like scrape marks on her upper arm.

Rena's eyes narrowed when she took them in.

"T-these are wounds Orochimaru inflicted earlier, but they only hurt a little now… so don't worry, I'm fine."

Rena could tell by the other girls tone she was lying, but didn't question her.

"Sakura-chan, don't overdo it."

"Let's take a break," Yamato decided. "Sakura is our one and only medic, we need her healthy for our mission to succeed."

Said person became irritated from his words. "I said I'm fine! We have to get moving again! You said it yourself commander, if we falter here, it's all over!"

He smirked, "I know what I said Sakura, but it's also said that haste makes waste. Charging in right now might get the job done. But being rash and reckless most certainly will not.

"Not that Sai's gone, you'll be my wingman in battle Naruto. And since we have a moment, let's work out our attack patterns. Rena, you'll be covering Sakura now. Naruto, come with me."

"Yes, sir!" Naruto grinned, hurriedly following the taller man.

Rena settled down next to Sakura, gently leaning against the tall tree. "How are you really feeling?"

Sakura gave her a tiny smile. "I'm fine, really. It's nothing I can't handle."

Rena's eyes wandered over to Sai's book that was now being held in Sakura's pale hands. "So, what exactly is in that thing?"

Together, the two girls opened the book, their eyes widening at the drawings it contained. Sakura called the two males over, the two peering over the female's shoulders at the book.

"If he drew those… we are in serious trouble," Naruto commented.

Rena sent the blond a glare before shifting her eyes back to the books contents. She took the time to mentally absorb what laid within it. "Sai drew this…?" she mumbled to no one in particular.

"The centerfold, it seems really out of place," the medic-nin noticed.

"Yeah, and really creepy," Naruto gulped.

On one side was a faceless person in ANBU gear and a Konoha forehead protector, while the other side was blank.

"This seems to be the tale of the two boys drawn on the covers," Sakura pointed out. Said cover had a young brunette boy on one side, and a white-haired boy on the opposite. "Each boy's adventures begins separately, starting with the cover at either end, then going inward. But there's no dialogue or text at all."

The group quickly discovered that the right-hand page was always the brunette, while the left-hand page continuously had a different character the boy was fighting. The further the book progressed, the kid would use the same weapon as the monster on the previous page.

Sakura spoke, "The orientation is flipped, but the premise is the same for the white-haired boy too."

"Hey! Doesn't the black-haired kid look an awful lot like Sai?" Naruto grumbled.

"…You're right. Perhaps he was drawing his own story. But then… who's the other boy?" Sakura's eyes widened after a second of silence. "I think… it might be Sai's older brother."

Rena resisted grabbing the book from her hands, "Which would mean… the centerfold was meant to be Sai… and his brother together."

"Let's head out," their commander spoke after a moment. "My doppelganger has tracked down Orochimaru's hideout."

They set off once more.

The group was silent as they steady moved through the terrain, coming to a halt when they reached barren land with tall rock faces.

Yamato stood straight. "Our order of infiltration will be, me first, then Sakura, then Rena and Naruto last."

"And the method?" Sakura questioned, tightening her gloves.

"By the book, I'll use earth style jutsu and we'll approach from underground. It took mere minutes for Yamato to build them a tunnel. "Looks like the hideouts completely surrounded by rock…"

"Let me blast a hole through with my rasengan!" Naruto eagerly responded, sweat dripping down his face.

"You'll alert the enemy!" Rena hissed.

"What we need right now is stealth," the captain intervened.

"Then how…?" the blond trailed off.

"The more solid the rock face, the less force needed to apply a small fissure and-" with a chunk of wood flying through the commanders hand, he seamlessly broke through the rock. "Viola! There you go."

The members took turns crawling through the small square-shaped hole.

"Infiltration accomplished. Now what?" Sakura questioned.

"We look for Sai," the older man briefly closed his eyes before opening them with determination. "This way." He took off in a random direction, the younger ninja hurriedly following after him.

He stopped once they approached a large wooden and metal door, his finger taking the form of a key to unlock it. Yamato peeked in, "There you are."

He fully opened the door, letting the others see that Sai was indeed inside. Said boy treated them to a fake smile. "Trust a black ops member directly linked to the Hokage not to be fooled by that corpse."

"Now, why don't you tell us what's going on," Yamato ordered, his eyes stern.

Naruto surged forward, grabbing a handful of Sai's black top. "Yeah jerk! Why'd you betray us?!"

"I wouldn't make so much noise here if I were you. It'll lead to trouble."

"You lousy-!"

"Naruto!" the pinkette scolded him.

The teen boys had a staring contest before Naruto grumbled, childishly turning away.

Sakura stepped forward to return Sai's book while asking him, "Danzo gave you orders, didn't he? He's trying to ally with Orochimaru for some purpose and you were selected to be their go between. So… what's he plotting?"

Sai didn't respond, his sad excuse of a smile plastered on his face.

"He's proposing Operation: Destroy Konoha, take two, isn't he?" Yamato accused.

"Stop smiling! I know you're just faking it!" Naruto yelled. "Everything you say is nothing but a big fat lie!"

"Well," Sai finally spoke up, "now that you've finally figured me out, seems my mission is officially a failure. But since I can't take on all of you together, and since you've guessed so much already. There's no point in hiding the truth any longer.

"You are correct. The plan was to get rid of Konoha as we know it. My assignment was to find an opportunity to approach Orochimaru and entice him to help destroy Konoha."

Yamato pulled out a sharp kunai, pointing it towards Sai. "Keep talking, I want all the details."

"What more is there to know?! He's a traitor and a-"

Sai cut Naruto off, "Do not rush to judge me, Naruto, until you have all the facts. I was also ordered to secretly report back Orochimaru's activities to Danzo-sama. In short, to act as his spy."

"Entering a conspiracy with Orochimaru while playing him at the same time? That's an extremely dangerous game," Sakura's green eyes were hard as emeralds.

"Well, if Konoha did fall, we expected Orochimaru to try and betray us at some point so, consider this our way of maintaining the upper hand."

"So, Danzo wants Konoha for himself. And you were sent in, alone, to set all this in motion."

"I was specifically chosen for this mission because of my abilities. The intelligence I write in ink can transform itself into little creatures, that can defend themselves while traveling back to Konoha."

Sakura practically growled. "If Konoha falls, a lot of people will die! Do you have any idea of the consequences of what you're doing?!"

"Well, I'm just following orders," the lack of emotion in Sai's voice with those words made Rena's stomach roll.

"Sai… how can you-"

Sai cut Sakura off. "Oh, and Sai is just a name I was given for the purposes of this mission. I'm actually nobody. I am merely an extension of Danzo-sama's will. I myself do not exist. Therefore, it's useless to say anything to me."

Naruto's face twisted in anger, while Sakura looked forlorn.

"Then…" the medic wondered. "Why do you carry around that picture book?!"

The black haired boy took a moment to look down at the small book he held in his hand.

"The two boys on the covers, are you and your brother right? You hang on to it because it is the only thing that proves you actually do exist. You're not as emotionless as you'd have everyone believe. Not even shinobi can cut their feelings completely you know."

 _All this emotion is making me nauseas._

 _Tell me about it… now go away, I'm trying to sleep._

 _Jerk._

Something flared in the back of Rena's skull. She whirled around, just for her gaze to meet with the large, heavy door. Her eyes narrowed. _What's this feeling?_

She felt the voice rustle, an unknown emotion running through his head.

Her eyes flickered back to the Konoha-nin. They were too deep in their conversation that there was no way they would notice her missing. Before she could second guess her own actions and the possible repercussions, Rena slipped out of the room and back into the wide, stone hallway.

Uncertainty (and hope?) filtered through her mind, _Where are you? Describe it to me._

Her black eyes roved around her surroundings, knowing no matter what she said the information she had wouldn't be helpful.

 _Underground, in a stone tunnel. The color is burnt orange and the stones are curved._

She jumped back at the wave of horror that flowed through her.

 _SHIT SHIT SHIT_

 _What?!_

Her eyes were wide in fear, not understanding why the voice was freaking out so much, instead she kept following the feeling in the back of her head, now breaking into a run towards the source.

 _You need to run – no you need to hide – no you need to come to this specific room – no. SHIT. What are you doing here?!_

 _What do you mean here?! Are you… are you here?_

* * *

I actually had a very difficult time with how to end this chapter, but I'm pretty content with it. Sorry for giving you guys a cliffhanger but it was already getting super long!

So I've received votes through PM and that is perfectly fine! You guys can PM me or comment for your votes to count. I just don't want to do a poll because I just don't like polls. But voting is still open!

Voting So Far:  
9 - Naruto  
3 - Shikamaru  
2 - Shino  
2 - Gaara  
1 - Neji  
1 - Ino


	6. Head

Responses To Comments With Questions:  
 **Smile** : Sakura already battled and killed Sasori while Rena was in the hospital, so there's no reason to worry over Rena taking any spotlight from her! :) (And I'm a huge SasuSaku fan so it's a pretty sure thing!)  
 **Guest** : I just wanted to confirm your pairing request, did you mean Naruto/Rena/Sakura as a threesome, or Rena with Naruto or Sakura? For now I just put it as a threesome but if I misunderstood please let me know!

Thank you **Guest, lizyeh2000, Smile, Guest, leofrick, time-twilight, speedy-skye, opalwolf12, ereynon1** and **Hitokirii** i for reviewing!

* * *

Ignoring the voices constantly changing objections, she followed the pull in the back of her head.

She didn't know where she was going.

She didn't know how she hadn't run into anyone.

All she knew was that she had to follow that inkling – she had to find the source of the voice.

Her heart was heavy and light at the same time, she was excited and terrified. She so wanted to finally meet the person behind the voice, she wanted to prove that they were a real being and she wasn't crazy. She wanted to finally look them in the eyes… she just wanted to _see_ them.

 _You'll be safe with me. Find me._

Her previously walking pace broke out into a hasty run. She didn't know how he also knew that she was heading in his direction, but she didn't have time to question that. She wanted to find him – she wanted to be with him. For once in her life… she wanted to hold someone and be held by them.

For the longest time she dreamed of this very moment. Meeting him.

She imagined it in multiple ways, both beautiful and frightening. But those memories and nightmares didn't matter in this moment.

 _When you find me, say "I'm five years old"._

A small smile laid itself on her face at the memory, it was the first time they properly spoke to each other. It was perfect.

It felt like the squared tunnel was pushing in against her very being, trying to stop her from reaching her destination.

She pushed on harder.

She was panting.

Her body still wasn't fully recuperated from before she reached Konoha.

But she still pushed herself.

She needs to see him.

It wasn't a question. It wasn't a want. It was a fucking _need_.

After what felt like an eternity, she whirled to a stop in front a wooden and metal door – identical to the door that contained Sai.

 _I'm here._

With a deep breath, she placed her palm against the door, pushing it open.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the lack of lighting in the room. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed just a single cot pushed against the wall.

 _Was I wrong after all?_

She walked further into the room, the door silently closing behind her.

A cool blade was placed against her pale neck. She stood still.

"Who are you?"

She knew that voice.

Without any fear, she knew he wouldn't harm her, she steadily said, "I'm five years old."

Instantly the knife was removed from her throat.

 _Can you hear me?_

The voice behind her was soft, "I can hear you."

Rena felt something lodged in her throat, she couldn't believe she found him. She finally found the voice. Slowly, she turned around.

Once the two were face-to-face they both felt their eyes widen. Even in the darkness Rena could absorb his features.

He looked like her… but masculine. He was barely an inch taller than her, with the same shade of hair and style of bangs, same shaped eyes, nose and mouth. Her jaw was sharper than his and she had higher cheekbones. His figure was tense, and the way he held himself… she does the same thing. Where his body was jagged edges, she was soft curves.

Being in his presence just felt so right. Rena didn't know how to properly explain what she was feeling in words… It was as if she just realized she was missing a part of her, and she finally found it. She felt whole. She felt warm. She felt _complete_.

There was just… such familiarity around him.

The power that crackled around him swirled harmlessly with her own chakra, the way they peacefully danced together was like that of a lost friend. It was as if, they were one and the same.

Slowly, she raised her hand until it cupped the side of his face. He didn't make a move to get out of her light grasp. Her dark eyes shined with amazement and pure joy. "You're real."

The girl felt the slightest upturn of his pale lips underneath the pad of her thumb.

So much hope ran through her system, she hadn't felt that light in _years_.

The boy raised his own hand, delicately brushing his knuckles against her cheekbone, treating her like the perfect porcelain, terrified that she would shatter at the simplest of touches. That she would disappear like a beautiful dream.

"What's your name?" he asked, after what felt like an eternity of just staring at each other.

"Rena," she whispered.

She felt the wave of confusion that raced through his system when she spoke, she noticed the slightest crinkle in the inner corners of his eyes.

"Sasuke."

Rena jerked back in surprise, barely missing the hurt in his eyes from the sudden movement. His arm fell limply to his side.

"Holy shit, you're who we're here for!"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Who's 'we'?"

Both ravens felt themselves stiffen at the slight creak of the door opening. Before Rena could react, she felt herself grabbed and harshly pushed behind Sasuke. She was just tall enough to look over his shoulder.

 _Sai?!_

The emotionless boy's eyes were shockingly hard, absorbing the situation in front of him.

"What do you want?"

Rena felt a shiver run down her spine at Sasuke's cold tone. It had no resemblance to the soft tone he spoke to her in just heartbeats before.

"I'm here, to take you back to Konoha," Sai confidently spoke, his face just peeking into the room from the cover of the door. "My original mission was to kill you but… instead I want to help protect the bond you two share, that Naruto so desperately wants to hold on to."

Sasuke scoffed. "A bond?"

 _Stay behind me._

Rena's eyes widened at the explosion that ensued, pushing her head against Sasuke's back to protect herself from the debris. A strong arm wrapped around her waist, yanking her through the air.

 _Play along. Otherwise he'll come after you too._

For the second time that day, a cool blade was placed against her narrow throat. But this time, it was Sasuke's katana instead of a kunai.

 _What the hell are you doing?!_

 _Protecting you._

Rena subconsciously let out a growl of irritation. Her dark eyes clashed with Sai's emotionless ones. He stockly stood at the bottom of the crater Sasuke just created, while they stood at the top, the sun shining off their identical dark hair.

Her ears picked up the sound of multiple feet heading towards them – her teammates. Sakura bursted out of the tunnel, her gloved hand grabbing Sai's collar.

"Sakura! What're you doing?!"

"Quiet you!" she yelled. "I'm asking the questions here! And this time, you better not lie!"

Rena felt Sasuke's chest rumble against her back. "Well, well, well… if it isn't Sakura."

She felt something prick her heart at the astonished look Sakura sent Sasuke. There was so much care in her green gaze… But, then she picked up on the situation, her eyes widening in horror at Rena's position.

That's when Naruto ran from the tunnel, sliding to a stop next to Sakura. "Sasuke…"

"So, Naruto, you came too," Sasuke's face was blank. "I assume this means Kakashi's here somewhere…"

Yamato strode out from the tunnel, "Sorry, but Kakashi couldn't make it. I'm here in his stead. We of Team Kakashi are going to take you back to Konoha." The captains gaze was solely focused on the katana positioned against Rena's throat.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed once Sai raised his katana to them.

"Sai!" Sakura called out, her face stricken. "You are not still thinking of your mission?!"

Rena felt the male behind her lightly scoff, that odd monotonous voice meeting her ears. "Is he my stand in? He said something about wanting to protect the bond between me and Naruto but, looks like this one is just another weakling too."

 _You're such a dick._

"My top-secret mission was to kill Sasuke but I'm done following orders. From now on, I want to think for myself. I feel like you can help me remember Naruto… bring back those old feelings I thought were lost. The things that were once really important to me… As for you, Sasuke, I really don't know much about you except that Naruto and Sakura are willing to risk everything for you, to keep that special bond you all share alive, in the name of friendship. I still don't understand it fully, but I think YOU do, Sasuke."

One of those uncomfortable smirks made its way onto Sai's face. "So, I'm going to drag you back to Konoha and you're going to release Rena-chan."

Sasuke's face didn't even twitch. He tightened his grip on his katana, pushing it further against Rena's throat.

The Konoha ninja switched their positions to fight by his miniscule movement. Captain Yamato threw up his hands, ready to flip through deadly hand signals.

There was no way Rena was going to allow her new friends and the voice attack each other, especially with her in the middle of it.

So.

She did the only thing she could think of in that moment.

She slammed her head against his, knocking them both out.

The air around Rena felt… off. Different. Comforting. She felt her muscles relax, her nerves shrink and her breathing softened.

Her dark eyes cautiously opened as she pushed herself onto her elbows. She gasped at her surroundings, her blood running cold at the sight.

 _This is… my old bedroom…_

Her eyes rooved across the all-too-familiar stone walls, the poorly constructed bed, the large bookcase and the single lightbulb that hung from the ceiling.

She jumped up, whirling around, only for her jaw to unhinge.

"Where is this?!" she screeched.

There was an unfamiliar bedroom directly across from hers, the two completely different rooms were attached… it was as if someone cut a perfect line across the two rooms and seamlessly glued them together.

The other room was of, a shamefully, much higher quality. The walls were a dark blue, and it even had a double window (that only showed a scene of pure darkness) with a dark wood bookcase next to it, the bed was queen-size with a plush comforter and multiple pillows and two dark wood bedside tables on either side, her eyes zeroed in on what was on the floor.

"Sasuke!" she cried out, hurrying over to his side. She shook his body, "Sasuke, wake up!"

"Sahiye-chan go away," he swatted at her nose, his eyes still closed to their surroundings.

The girl's features adopted a confused look. "Sahiye?" she repeated.

That's when his eyes popped open, jutting up into a sitting position. "Where the hell are we?" he asked, when he noticed what strange room they were in. "This is… my bedroom?"

Rena's gaped. "This is YOUR bedroom?"

"Not that side," he pointed to the recreation of her childhood bedroom. It took mere seconds for things to click in his brain, especially when he saw the females embarrassed look, her large dark eyes averting from his heavy gaze.

" _This_ is where they kept you?!" he angrily yelled, jumping up to his feet.

Before she could defend herself, she noticed something… strange. Slowly, she straightened herself up from her kneeling position, stiffly standing. "Sasuke-kun… what's that?" she shakily pointed a long finger at a moving shadow located in the corner of 'his room'. The shadow was shaped like a snake, with beady red eyes, twirling its wispy body around the beautiful bookcase.

It felt so wrong, like it didn't belong in that room. It oozed anger and just pure evil.

The ninja turned to see what Rena was pointed at, elegantly raising an eyebrow when he didn't see anything. "What's what?" he turned back to her.

"You don't see it? The snake…" she practically whispered the last word, not knowing what the thing was. It continued to look at her, filling her with cold dread, but it made no move to attack or harm either of the two.

Sasuke turned around to try and see what she saw, but shook his head at her. "There's nothing there, Rena-chan."

"But- "

He swiftly cut her off. "No, we need to focus on what's important right now. Getting the hell out of here, but first why the hell did you head butt me?! I was trying to save you!"

Rena placed her hands on her hips, cocking her hip to the side. "Because you were about to attack my friends!"

"Your… friends," he slowly pronounced the words, as if he never heard them before.

"Yes, some of us have those."

"And the place you've been staying in his… Konoha."

"Yes."

"How did you get there?"

A face popped into her head, but instead of saying who the person was she responded with, "I was being chased and ended up at their gates."

She took in Sasuke's expression as his eyes widened in pure horror. "You met… that man?!"

The long-haired raven jumped back at his tone, "What-?"

"I saw it! In my head! I saw his face!"

"Who-?"

"Itachi!" the utter disgust in his voice from the man's name shocked Rena, before her face morphed into confusion.

"How did you-?" and just like that she felt unfamiliar images of a younger Itachi whirl through her mind. She saw him poke 'her' forehead, hold 'her' as they sat on the deck at the house she was staying at in Konoha, she saw him… bloody, standing above the slained bodies of a woman and man.

The two ended up staring at each other.

Sasuke had anger surging through his eyes, his jaw set, blunt nails digging into the skin of his palms.

Rena's mouth was slightly ajar, her eyes wide, her shoulders slouched.

"He didn't hurt me…" she practically whispered after an eternity of just staring. She…she didn't know how to respond to any of this. She felt so small. Like a child. A child learning one of life's unimaginable truths for the first time.

"Never, ever, trust a word _that man_ says," the boy's words were absolute, the anger growing within his body if possible. Rena could feel the anger rolling through him.

"He told me to go to Konoha," was all she responded with. She didn't want to fight him. She didn't have the energy or heart to. Besides, they have other things to focus on like, where the fuck they were!

The boy opened his mouth to retort, but Rena cut him off, "Sasuke, please, can we just put this aside for now and try and find a way out of here? And what the fuck is going on?!"

Sasuke's mouth slammed shut, his teeth making an audible clicking sound, taking a deep breath in an effort to calm himself. He had to remind himself of just who was in front of him… there was no way he could hurt her in any way.

With all her inner effort, Rena sent calming vibes to Sasuke through their link, trying to drape him in the warmth of comfort and calm.

After another deep breath, Sasuke gave her a stiff nod. "Fine, but don't think this conversation is over. Now, how are we going to get out of here?"

Her shoulders drooped as her dark eyes roamed their surroundings. They widened when her eyes landed on a dark wood door that was definitely not originally there when they woke up.

Rena lifted her pale arm to point to the newly found door. "We go through there."

"You stay behind me, alright?" Sasuke's words were spoken in a way that Rena couldn't deny his request.

"Yes…" she softly responded with, shifting herself to stand half-behind Sasuke's left side.

As one, the two moved forward, it was Sasuke who pushed the door opened. It squeaked loudly, revealing a long corridor aligned with multiple torches to light their way.

Only Rena's left side of her body could be seen from behind Sasuke, whose eyes were dutifully taking in their surroundings.

"What is this place?" Rena echoed the boys' own thoughts, her wide black eyes taking in the dull grey hallway.

"I have an idea but…" the taller boy trailed off, uncertain of his own estimation.

Obviously, he couldn't keep his thoughts way from Rena who gave him an odd look at his thought. "You think… we're in our heads?" she slowly questioned, heavily confused by his deduction.

They steadily continued their trek through the straight hallway.

"It's the only thing that makes sense. I've been in other people's minds before, and it does make sense that we would share at least part of our head space with the mental link we have together."

Rena's eyes narrowed at the back of his head. "You've been… in other people's minds?"

He didn't supply her with an answer.

The girl rolled her eyes, slowly growing irritated the more seconds that passed. Their surroundings still haven't changed. The hallways wall and floors were pristinely cracked and the torches were all an even yard apart from each other.

"Do you think this place can tell us why we have the link we do?"

"Potentially."

It felt like a decade until two identical dark wood doors appeared through the darkness, in perfect diameter against the opposite wall.

With a shared look, Sasuke stood in front of the door on the right side, Rena taking the door on the left side.

Rena gently placed her hand against the cool wood of the door, pushing it open.

* * *

I swear College classes are always the worst during the weeks upcoming to Thanksgiving...

Voting So Far:  
15 - Naruto  
4 - Shikamaru  
2 - Shino  
2 - Gaara  
1 - Sakura & Naruto  
1 - Neji  
1 - Ino


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